In Giles Milton’s novel, Samurai William, the reader is taken to the other side of the globe to experience the history of old world Japan. Though out the book, Milton provides reason for complex historical events and actions, while still communicating the subtleties and mysterious customs of the Japanese. The novel also closely examines the wide range of relationships between different groups of Europeans and Asians, predominantly revolving around the protagonist, William Adams. The book documents the successes and failures that occur between the two civilizations, then links them back to either the positive or negative relationship they have. As the book goes on, the correlation is obvious. Milton shows us the extreme role that religion, etiquette and trade played in establishing positive relations between visiting Europeans and the Asian civilizations. Religion and traditions played a chief role in the Europeans relationships in Asia all throughout the novel. Milton puts an incredible weight on the shoulders of religion on both sides of the civilisations. The book dives right into explaining the fascination and disgust felt by European priests and Jesuits towards the Japanese monks. They carried rosaries like the Catholics and “in old age, many retired to Buddhist monasteries to live the rest of their days in prayer and contemplation”. The Buddhist All-Souls Day consisted of the ceremonial sprinkling of graves with flower petals. All of this appealed to the Catholic Jesuits, no doubt, as it was reflective of many forms of Christianity. It was also appealing because many were “convinced that Japan would prove fertile territory” for converting because of the similarities. However, it was the negative aspects such as of sodomy, crucifixion, and complete lack of charity and care for the sick that seemed to fuel the mission of the Jesuits. (The relationship between the Catholics and Protestants must also be noted here. The battling religions came to a head in Japan when the Liefde appeared baring William and other Dutch Protestants. Japan was slowing becoming baptised to Catholicism and the arrival of the ‘heretics’ terrified the Jesuit priests. They lobbied non-stop to the feudal lord to have them executed before they could harm Japan, as they had the rest of the world, they said. The ruler, Lord Terasawa, refused for “he wanted to know more about their voyage and the purpose of their mission”. Had the monks had a positive and influential relationship with Terasawa, he probably would have listened to them, and done as requested.) The book presents such complex Japanese religious traditions as ritual suicide and goes on to say how an individual would commit such an act in great detail. But it also fills in all the blanks with subtleties of the religion and traditions that denied European monks the pork and beef they so longed for. It was the Japanese, however, that realized the power of converting to Christianity. Otomo Yoshishige of Bungo grasped the idea that by converting to Christianity, he would please the Europeans and create more positive relations with them. Becoming parallel with the beliefs of the Jesuits would in turn bring travel and trade to Bungo. When the Europeans landed in Nagasaki, the feudal lord immediately saw the benefits of conversation and “went one step further and declared intention of making his fiefdom a purely Christian one.” Religion and tradition had become more then just beliefs; they were now a way for the civilizations to connect with one another.

The level of etiquette that had been established by the Japanese was perhaps the largest barrier that stood in the way of positive relations with the Europeans. The beginning of the novel explains the Japanese’s first impressions of the newly landed visitors as amazed and repulsed. They were reported as being “well dressed and that they spoke with considerable delicacy”. But it was soon learned that they did not bathe everyday; they ate unfit...

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...Yamamoto, Tsunetomo
Bushido: The Way of the Samurai
Garden City Park, NY
2002
After reading this book it is my belief that it is important for Westerners to understand the seemingly strange concepts of Bushido, not only as a guide to events of the past, but as a primer for understanding the Japanese business mentality of today. The first thought that comes to mind when Japanese work ethic is hard working, no breaks, complete commitment to ones job. There may be a reason why Japan was able to rebuild their country so quickly after World War II, this reason is Bushido, the principles of the samurai.
The origin of this book is from the Hagakure, which this book was based on was dictated by Tsunetomo Yamamoto, a samurai. And later scribed verbatim by Tsuramoto Tashiro over a period of seven years (1710-1716) in which they lived together in a far off mountain retreat in Japan. Tashiro was sworn to secrecy over the texts contents because the author believed the teachings to be far too radical and too militaristic for the then peaceful times during the Shogunate Rule (1603-1867). During this time of unusual calmness, the teachings of Buddhism and the ethical codes of Confucius permeated Japan, enriching every aspect of its culture from arts to politics. But the old samurai, Yamamoto, believed that the samurai, as a class, had become effeminate and weak. Yamamoto's basic premise was that the...

...The Japanese warrior, known as the samurai, has played a significant role in Japan's history and culture throughout the centuries. Their ancestors can be traced back to as far as can be remembered. Some stories have become mysterious legends handed down over the centuries. In this report you will learn who the samurai were, their origins as we know them, how they lived and fought and their evolution to today. It will be clear why the samurai stand out as one of the most famous group of warriors of all times.
Looking back in time, the first Japanese battles recorded are in the first few centuries AD. At this time Japanese warriors went across the sea to Korea to help one kingdom battling two rival kingdoms. Four hundred men set out and fought on foot carrying their bows, spears and swords. They were quickly beaten by warriors attacking on horseback. They probably had never seen an attack like that before, with horses being ridden. Even though there were horses in Japan they had not been used for riding or fighting, but to help in carrying and pulling goods. In the next century, however, there is evidence that horses were being ridden and used in warfare by warriors who would later be called samurai (History Channel).
The term samurai was first used in the 10th century and means "those who serve". In the beginning it stood for men who guarded the capital for the Emperor, some where used as tax...

...Introdution
Twilight Samurai is a movie that revolves around the live of a samurai, years before the Meiji Restoration. The main issues that the movie looked at include stereotype of samurais, genders and social class differences. Unlike many typical samurai-themed movies which involve fighting, woman and pride, the director of Twilight Samurai focused on the everyday life and difficulties faced by the main protagonist, Iguchi Seibei.
His story was told by her daughter, Ito who narrated the whole movie. Therefore, it can be said that this movie is based on the fond memories of her father. She was still very young when these incidents happened which changed her father’s life irrevocably.
Samurai Stereotype
Unlike other samurais who were concerned about their clans, Iguchi was a man of few words and rushed home every evening to take care of her senile mother and 2 young daughters, Ito and Kayano, instead of joining his colleagues for entertainment or drinking. Thus he was nicknamed Twilight Samurai. After his wife died of consumption (tuberculosis), Iguchi worked hard to make ends meet and thus neglected his physical appearance and often looked unkempt, his kimono was often tattered and soiled. This goes against the common perception of samurais who are often perceived to have their hair tied up neatly in a ponytail, clean-shaven, and donned...

...The Samurai and the Bakumatsu Era
Eric Lemaire
12/09/05
English Comp I
Mrs. Halperin
The Bakumatsu Era was a crucial period of Japanese history at the end of the Tokugawa Era or Edo Period. It was a period of war and anarchy that was brought about by the introduction of western culture and constant battles between the imperialists and the loyalists. During this time and throughout history, thesamurai or bushi played an integral part in Japanese everyday life. As time progressed, we notice that many of them worked for the government and others worked and plotted against it. In a sense the samurai brought about their own demise. Throughout this period, the samurai maintained order and morality and did so with their code of conduct that was highly influenced by philosophies of Buddism and Zen. The last and fifteenth shogunate, which marked the most pivitol point in Japanese history, was administered by Tokugawa Yoshinobu who came into conflict with the emperor. During this time Japan underwent tremendous social, mental, and physical changes. Their culture was changing, their believes and priorities were different and this lead to a series of unprecedent events that forever changed Japan.
The system of government that was established in Japan during the Tokugawa Era was highly complex. At the very head of hierarichal ladder, there were the...

...The Contrast of the Heian-Era Courtier and the Kamakura Samurai
April 29, 2011
The Contrast of the Heian-Era Courtier and the Kamakura Samurai
The major periods that shaped Japan’s history and future were the Heian-era of Aristocracy and the Kamakura period of Samurai. The Heian-era and the Kamakura period are interesting because of their differences in social structure, tradition, and culture. In the Heian era, the aristocrat’s social class was sought by many because of their social and cultural status. When the warrior rise in the Kamakura age the social classes change dramatically between aristocrat and warrior. The Heian-era (794-1191) was an age of self development in Japan’s culture and tradition. Before the Heian-era, Japan modeled China’s civilization because of their advancement in inventions and discoveries. “…Chinese economy had grown spectacularly, and in fields as diverse as rice cultivation, the production of iron and steel, and the printing of books, China’s method of production were highly advanced”( Bedford, 2009). Despite the economic growth China was going through civil wars that threaten Japan’s government stability. As the Tang Dynasty declined Japan turned away from Chinese tradition to develop their aristocratic society. As a result, Japan revised their former Chinese based government, and this brought about the Heian-era. The Kamakura period (1185-1333) was an age of military control within the...

...﻿#34—Crash Course World History Video Notes
Samurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism
1. So, if you’re into European history, you’re probably somewhat familiar with nationalism and the names and countries associated with it. ____________ in Germany, Mazzini and Garibaldi in __________, and Mustafa Kemal (aka Ataturk) in Turkey.
2. But nationalism was a __________ phenomenon, and it included a lot of people you may not associate with it, like Muhammad Ali in __________.
3. Nationalism was seen in the British Dominions, as Canada, Australia and New Zealand became federated states between ­­­­­­_______ and _______. I would say independent states instead of federated states, but you guys still have a queen.
4. It’s also seen in the Balkans, where Greece gained its independence in 1832 and Christian principalities fought a war against the __________ in 1878, in India where a political party, the Indian National Congress, was founded in 1885, and even in __________, where nationalism ran up against the dynastic system that had lasted more than 2000 years.
5. Let’s define the modern nation state. A nation state involves a __________ government that can claim and exercise authority over a distinctive territory. That’s the state part. It also involves a certain degree of linguistic and __________ homogeneity. That’s the nation part.
6. So how do you become a nation? Well, some argue it’s an organic process involving __________ similar people wanting to...

...An Old Movie in a New Light
"The Last Samurai" is one of my favorite films; I have watched it at least ten times. This time around, I was forced to watch it from a completely different point of view. I had never realized how much you can learn about the Japanese culture from this movie. It depicts the Japanese culture very well, and shows the contrasts between that culture and American culture very blatantly. Although the main conflict of the film lies within the Japanese culture, it encompasses the loss of cultural identity, and the movement of some Japanese to embrace a more modern, western culture. By doing so, it pushes the cultural differences to the forefront.
This film is set in Japan during the 1870's. During this period of time Japan was engaged in a civil war. While some of the country desired a more modern, western way of life, the samurai, the traditional warriors and protectors of Japan, felt that the change was occurring to quickly and at the expense of the nation's cultural identity.
Traditionally, Japan is a collectivistic culture in which the well-being of the country, and one's family is placed above an individual's desires. They live in the same village as their ancestors did, and they rely on other family members greatly. This, of course, is not the point of view of American culture. We are an inherently individualistic culture. Japan also values certain aspects of a masculine and a feminine society....

...protection and land rights. This loyalty would become the characteristic ideal of the samurai warrior.
The warrior class would rule society and politics in Japan until the Tokugawa Shogunate in the nineteenth century. A samurai was a member of the Japanese elite and his lifestyle was dictated by a series of strict moral codes and ideals. True loyalty to his lord was expected, if not always followed through in its ideal form. In 1703 a vendetta carried out by forty-six former vassals avenging their lord's death would come to be viewed as the embodiment of samurai ideals. Playwrights and storytellers have used the story of the valiant and devoted retainers many times since, due to the tale's immense popularity in Japan. What would go on to be called "the most famous and popular work in the entire Japanese theatrical repertory" is one particular version of the story, Chûshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) (Keene xi).
Written in 1748, the puppet play is set in the fourteenth century and the names of the characters were changed in order to evade the laws of censorship that forbade the depiction of recent political events in the theatre of the time. But the shift in time period does little to change the strength of the play's message, rather it manages to depict a time when such samurai ideals of loyalty and resolute action were more than mere theories and ideas of a bygone era. While a...